How beautiful you are
by Irish-coffee
Summary: Coming back from work in the downpour, a mysterious birthday present, and a team who doesn't know Jo and Mac are a happy couple. You'll have to read to find out what's going on between the two of them !
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone ! This is the translation of my story 'Comme t'es belle'. I owe Urbanmuse a big thanks for her help and corrections ! And I dedicate this chapter to Quille ;)  
Enjoy ! **

The rain was coming down hard over New York City, transforming the large avenues into fast-flowing rivers and creating a heavy curtain which offered some degree of intimacy to the few brave souls who dared to emerge from their shelter. Among those fearlessly putting up a fight against the downpour was Mac Taylor, trying hopelessly to shelter his companion under his umbrella, an arm around her waist to keep her warm against him.

For her part, Jo Danville was cuddled into him, pouting. Despite Mac's best efforts to keep her dry, she was completely drenched, and she was looking forward to reaching his place to dry herself - or, better still - to be dried by Mac. A cheeky smile played on her lips for a short moment, as she stared at his face with a look of mischief. As much as she hated the rain, it did harbor some advantages like being hugged by your lover on the way home from work - and that was only one among quite a few. A shiver ran down her spine when she felt a drop fall right between the collar of her leather coat and the nape of her neck, rolling between her shoulder blades. Mac's hand brought her closer to him and all of a sudden, he ran, guiding her to the entrance of a building which might shelter them for a short moment. Jo stared at him, aghast. They were soaked to the skin. At this point, any shelter was useless. As the only answer to her silent inquiry, Mac tilted his head to the spot they had just left – a large car passed by on the road where they had been walking mere seconds before, creating a wave of muddy water that splashed onto the pavement. Jo wrinkled her nose in a way Mac found irresistible and he kissed the corner of her mouth.

"I hate the rain !" she shouted, trying to make herself heard over the deafening noise of the downpour. He shot her a compassionate smile and tucked a lock of her soaked hair behind her ear.

'"Let's go and warm up at home or we'll catch our death."  
Ten minutes later, Mac pushed Jo inside his flat with a hand in the small of her back and closed the front door behind them. She stretched out like a cat and tried to take off her coat which ended up peeling away from her skin with a sucking sound.  
'"Yuck, what awful weather ! That's it Mac, you'll never again make me walk to the lab in the morning, even when the sun is shining and the birds are singing."  
Mac smiled hearing his beloved complaining about the weather. That morning, indeed, no one could have guessed the city would be flooded by the end of the day. The sun had been shining brightly, and he had wanted to enjoy both the weather and the fact that Jo had woken up early enough to allow them to walk to the lab. He wasn't regretting it yet.  
Suddenly, Jo caught a glimpse of herself in the small hallway mirror and she choked back a shout of horror, clasping her hands over her mouth.  
"Oh my God, Mac ! I look like a panda!"  
Mac burst out laughing, taking off his coat which he hung on the hook in the hallway before wrapping his arms around the middle of his companion who was vainly trying to bring back some volume to her hair while sweeping away traces of her ruined make-up. Obviously, waterproof make-up was not fit to survive a walk under the ocean. He rested his chin on her shoulder and gazed at her reflection in the mirror.  
"Pandas are cute."  
She looked daggers at him but he simply held her more tightly. He loved to see her natural self without artifice. Eye-shadow and eyeliner, blush, lipstick, high-heeled boots and so much jewelry - all that gave him the impression she was beyond his reach. When he saw her at the lab, she was a dark and sexy woman, a femme fatale, and he wondered what she was doing with a man like him. On the other hand, in the morning, seeing her sound asleep in his bed, with her hair ruffled from their love-making, her face devoid of make-up, and wearing only the sheet in which she had rolled herself up during the night, leaving him at the mercy of the cold… It was only then, when she was simply Jo, his Jo, that he could measure, without make-up or pretense, just how much he loved her. He smiled as he saw her there in his arms, all traces of cosmetics washed from her face, her hair soaked and her clothes glued to her thin frame.  
"Mac Taylor, will you please stop making fun of me and let me go change my clothes ?" She asked turning her eyes to the sky.  
He turned her to face him, kissed her forehead as lightly as a feather, and let her go.  
"I wouldn't want you to get sick. Go find something warm, I'm gonna make some tea." She nodded and went to the bedroom, his gaze following her every move. He would have liked to undress her, on that very spot, to stroke her skin, kiss her here and there, to slip his nose in that tantalizing hollow right between her collar bones, moving higher and higher on her neck to brush his lips right under her ear. She would sigh in contentment and cling to him. He shook his head. She was driving him crazy, but it was not the right time to give in to the passion threatening to consume him with each passing second. She would catch a cold by his own fault if he didn't brush his thoughts aside to make tea and switch on the heat.  
When Jo came back into the living room, Mac was waiting for her with a cup of tea, standing to avoid soaking the sofa. When she set her eyes on him, she caught him lost in contemplation with a goofy smile on his lips and his eyes full of tenderness. She took a look at herself and raised an eyebrow.  
"Mac, if an old sweater and flannel pajama pants have you so turned on, I'm gonna have to take your temperature." She said with a teasing smile, taking the cup he was handing her. She gave him a peck on the lips and he put a hand on her waist to keep her close to him as he observed her for a short moment.  
"This outfit is terribly ravishing. You know, I'd like to see you in it every-time you're here." He answered with a smile.  
She bit her lip and he thought he saw her pupils dilate.  
"Only if you stay in your birthday suit when you're at my place…" She purred.  
He choked back a sharp laugh that threatened to burst into the silence of the apartment and he brought his forehead to Jo's. She was looking at him with curiosity.  
"What about Ellie? There are some rules of decorum that she may not let us drop…"  
She groaned. "Yeah, what an unworthy mother I am. We can't lock her up in her room when you're around, can we?" She asked pouting.  
This statement brought an exasperated smile to Mac's lips and he pressed her against his body, crushing his wet clothes into his companion's fresh ones, which made her jump.  
"Mac! You're drenched ! Go dry yourself or you're gonna catch pneumonia!"  
And she pushed him with her hand towards the bedroom. He turned to her just before entering the room, and saluted her.  
"Yes Ma'am. At your command!"  
She sighed. Mac was paying so much attention to her every need, to her every wish, that he often forgot about himself in the process. She sipped her tea, smiling. He was going to drive her mad. What sort of silly idea was it to walk back from work in the rain ? She had spent her day, as the mature and reasonable woman she was, looking forward to the moment she would be able to stroke his torso with her hands, then his back, to grip his shoulders, taking his lips in a full-mouthed kiss. And she still had to wait for them to be both dried and warmed up before they could at last enjoy their intimacy. She stretched. If he wasn't back in three minutes' time, she decided she'd just have to help him change - and that would take much, much more time, she thought as she walked towards the doorway, not caring to wait any longer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey y'all !** **I'm sorry I have kept you waiting for this chapter so long ! I've been terribly busy. Thanks for all your comments, that's great reading from you ! :) **

"Ouch!"

Mac winced and tried to make Jo loosen the death grip she had on his hip - a result of her sinking in her nails when she had felt him move away in his sleep. His sudden reflex action had the opposite effect of what he wanted as he felt beads of blood form under his lover's finger tips. He lay his head back on the pillow and tried a different tactic. He stroked her arm from hand to shoulder, then from shoulder to hand where he drew some soft circles before toying with one of her rings.

Little by little, Jo's grip loosened and Mac's face relaxed again. According to the alarm clock, it was 8am, and the irony was that, for once, Mac had been more than ready to sleep in until Jo had shown her possessive nature by scratching him when he had merely shifted in his sleep. He held her tight against him and sighed with pleasure. He wouldn't be able to get back to sleep now, he knew that for sure;but if he couldn't get up either, at least he had time to enjoy the scenery. Jo's features were serene, her breathing was deep and regular, and she looked infinitely peaceful. Her hair was ruffled and the sun falling on her pretty cheekbones was giving them a reddish-orange hue that made him want to kiss her tenderly, again and again… Which he didn't do, fearing he would wake her up. He was still on call for the coming two hours. If only criminals could take Sundays off, as everybody else did, and take advantage of the break to refine their next crime, cook themselves a decent meal - it really didn't matter what they did as long as they let him enjoy his morning in bed with the woman he loved so much. Sending a silent prayer to the God of criminals, he slipped his nose into the crook of Jo's neck. That made her purr with delight, though still sound asleep.

Her biological clock finally pushed her to wake up around ten, baffled by the absence of the usual smell of coffee and by the feel of Mac's body pressed into hers. She opened a curious eye which she turned to the alarm clock. It was late… A wave of panic rushed over her and she shook Mac, making him jump.

"Mac !" She exclaimed in a voice which betrayed her surprise.

He observed her, worried. "What is it Jo?"

She gently pressed the palm of her hand to her lover's heart and shook her head. "Nothing, I'm - just being silly. I thought it so strange to find you still in bed this late that I couldn't help thinking that…" She shook her head even more energetically and he smiled with a hint of mischief.

"I'm alive Jo. And my heart's still beating." He nearly added 'for you', but he held his tongue. He was becoming terribly cliché and sentimental since he and Jo had begun dating, and it was a disturbing development. However, he must have thought about it too strongly as an uneasy smile appeared on Jo's lips and she raised her eyes to him, her long  
eyelashes fluttering in a cute way, as she hunched up her shoulders. Mac kissed her forehead, then her nose, until she took the matter into her own hands, taking his lips between hers to kiss him passionately. Mac lost control. Her smell, the taste of her lips, and the smoothness of her skin always produced the same effect on him. It was as though his heart wanted to beat violently out of his chest, making him shiver from head to toe. It was completely insane and he was certain she loved being the reason for such a reaction. Her nails delicately grazing his scalp triggered a spiral of desire, and he shifted their position, sliding her under him, feeling his lust intensify. His hand made its way along her thigh, and she reacted immediately - gripping his hip and, feeling an unusual rough spot on Mac's skin, she frowned, breaking their kiss against her lover's will, and letting her gaze fall on the scab that had formed after she had scratched him. A silent "Oh" formed on her lips, which Mac tried to hide by covering them with his own, in vain. She pushed him away with her hands on his shoulders.

"Mac - I thought I was past the age of wild lovemaking. I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was hurting you…" She apologized, biting her lips.

Mac couldn't repress his laughter when he heard her. It was true, Jo might look like she was a hot lover. But actually, their love-making was never anything other than tender, full of caresses, without any impetuous moves. Jo didn't understand his hilarity and her cheeks reddened as she raised an eyebrow, dumbfounded.

Mac took a deep breath, took her face between his hands, measuring how lucky he was to have her, and no one else, by his side.

"You were sleeping when you scratched me Jo…"

"Oh…"

"Obviously, you didn't want me to tear myself away from you." He explained with a tender smile.

"Tell me you wanted to leave my embrace, I dare you." She answered with a sly look that was hers alone. He pouted, and just as he was about to prove to her that he had no desire to leave her alone in the warmth of the sheets, his phone vibrated. He sighed when he saw the lab's number show up on the screen and ran his hand down the back of his neck. Jo let herself fall back on her pillow when he picked up his phone. Killing on a Sunday? Clearly, values were fraying.


End file.
